Prep volleyball: NLC boasts plenty of parity

PALMER — With a 9-1 record in conference play, the Colony Knights earned a top seed in the 2007 Northern Lights Conference Championship Tournament. But Colony head coach Amy Carter knows that does not mean the Knights will enjoy an effortless ride to a third-straight region title.

“The teams are pretty evenly-matched,” Carter said of the event that starts Thursday at Palmer High School.

The NLC has boasted great parity in the last several seasons, and local coaches expect the same this season.

“A lot of teams could win on any given night,” Palmer head coach Steve Reynolds said.

Half the squads in the eight-team conference won at least six conference matches during the regular season, and three squads had three or few losses.

Colony enters the tourney as the top team in the NLC with its 9-1 record. The Knights’ first-round opponent is the only winless team in the NLC, Kenai Central (0-10).

The Knights and Kardinals meet at 3 p.m. on Thursday at Palmer High.

Colony is led by its three-player senior class — middle hitter Hannah Curtis, outside hitter Kristen Coan and setter Desi Diselrod. Despite the nearly flawless conference mark, Carter said there is still room for improvement.

“We still have stuff to work on,” Carter said.

Colony’s lone NLC loss this season came against Palmer (8-2), the second-seeded squad from the NLC’s Northern Division. The Moose face Skyview (5-5) Thursday at 7 p.m. at PHS.

Palmer also has a solid senior class — led by outside hitter Nicole Kenney, middle hitter Colleen Bue middle hitter Geneva Ratcliff and setter Sarah Svedin — but throughout the 2007 season, Reynolds has said team chemistry is the key to Palmer’s success.

Wasilla (2-8) meets Soldotna (7-3), the top seed from the NLC Southern Division, at 5 p.m. on Thursday.

The Warriors are led by senior outside hitter Ashlen Welch and junior middle hitter Jenna Johnson.

The top three teams in the NLC tourney will advance to the 4A state volleyball championships, an event that starts Nov. 8 at West Anchorage High School.

Both teams that advance to the NLC championship match, which starts Saturday at 5:30 p.m. at PHS, will earn automatic state tourney bids. Also advancing is the winner of the consolation final, which is set to begin

Saturday at 3 p.m. at PHS.